“Prepare for Glory!” Batting Bed Bugs without Harming your Mattress

May 9, 2014

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Don’t let the name fool you. Bedbugs aren’t limited to living only in your mattress and pillows; they can be found just about anywhere in the house, including the carpet that remains uncleaned and the couch! With flat bodies and six legs, bed bugs are tiny little pests that come out at night to feed on our blood when they sense lack of movement, such as when we’re asleep or reading a book. Fully grown bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed while the young ones are less visible to the naked eye.

Bed bugs, albeit annoying, pose no real danger to our health, excluding those who have extremely sensitive skin. They cannot pass on any disease to human beings and you won’t even feel them bite until you notice tiny red marks on your skin that itch. Of course, you’d still want to get rid of them, but the use of pesticides to exterminate bedbugs is not very advisable, as it might do you more harm than good.

There hasn’t been any product marketed mainly for the destruction of bedbug infestations, so unless you’re willing to sleep on a bed sprayed with roach killer or ammonia, chemicals really shouldn’t be an option.

That being said, here are a few notes to help you battle bedbugs without harming your mattress or yourself.

Bedbugs like to travel

From one person’s home, to his clothes, to someone else’s clothes, and then to someone else’s home. We’re not saying you shouldn’t make any contact with anyone ever, but you’re going to be travelling, it’s a good idea to invest in a bedbug spray.

Use the spray on the bed you’ll be sleeping in and on your clothes, and always make sure your luggage is hanged and doesn’t touch the floor. As soon as you get back from your trip, unpack all your clothes straight in the washer. Note that Bedbug sprays won’t work if you have an existing infestation. Rather than kill them, they will only repel the bedbugs from a certain area for a few hours at most.

If you can get your hands on a steamer, use it to your advantage!

Steam heat is one of the most effective ways to kill bedbugs if you know specifically which furniture they reside in. The flow of the heat should be continuous to eliminate the pests in a certain area.

Get your hands on some diatomaceous earth (food grade)

No, this is not a fabulous new diet involving you eating soil. It’s sedimentary rock that has been crushed into what can only be described as incredibly tiny shards of glass that are so fine they’re powdered. Funnily enough, it’s edible for humans and animals (to get rid of parasites) and is safe for human skin.

Sprinkle the stuff onto wherever you think bedbugs like to hang out, like in cracks and holes on your bedframe, and the ‘tiny shards of glass’ will physically destroy any bug by puncturing their exoskeletons and causing them to dehydrate.

Do everything all over again

Most bedbug infestations won’t be so easily destroyed after one procedure, so you’re going to have to everything that all over again. And again, and again, until you’re convinced your home is bedbug free!